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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wave · game · fine · fork · hand · scale · can · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. scale — in music
  7. fine — high quality
  8. can — a tin
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. game — wild animals
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — size or range
  17. hand — help
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. game — a match
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. fine — all right

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com